Who is my neighbor?An expert in the law wanting to justify himself, inquired of Jesus: “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29). In reply, Jesus told a story concerning a man who was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. “They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.” A Levite also app...

Reaching toward heavenHumans have long reached toward heaven. I don’t know whether this desire represents an attempt to get away from the ground, an attempt to associate with God or an attempt to peer over the balcony and look at all the little people below. But the desire to go higher and higher has long shaped the skylines of our cities. The Empire State Building opened this week in 1931 as the tallest building in the world at 1,250 feet. It retained this designa...

Symptoms of a sick societyOn Dec. 14, 2012, the unspeakable happened once again in our country. On this date, a young man who was armed to the teeth entered the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., and opened fire on everything that moved. When it was over, 20 precious children and six faculty members were dead, and the gunman turned a gun on himself and ended the rampage. These events have been documented thousands of times, and the constant news coverage f...

Letters to the editor (May 2, 2013)Police Memorial Week As part of the National Police Memorial Week, once a year we, as a community, have an opportunity to pay tribute to law enforcement officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty and to honor those who continue to serve and protect us around the clock. Our local memorial service will be held at the downtown Depot at 10:30 a.m, Thursday, May 9. Here are three suggestions for showing our support on this occasion and ...

Politics with crisis inevitableWASHINGTON — Hours after the Boston Marathon bombings, President Barack Obama gave the standard presidential line following a tragedy: “On days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats — we are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens.” And, as usual, Republicans and Democrats alike quickly ignored his don’t-politicize-this plea. This was inevitable. Our leaders always play politics after catastrophe, whether made by man or ...

Information advocates won most battlesLike many other people, journalists breathe a sigh of relief when the Arkansas General Assembly adjourns. Lawmakers may take offense at such statements, and yet they often complain, when a major legislative error comes to light, that they never have time enough to read the bills they’re voting on. In some cases that’s exactly what the sponsors intend. For example, on the day of the deadline for filing proposed legislation during a general sess...

Murder in plain sightThere is a mass murderer on trial in Philadelphia for what could be one of the most gruesome serial killing sprees in recent history. The grand jury report reads like a horror movie as it describes the brutal killings by Pennsylvanian Kermit Gosnell, who committed his crimes in the name of medicine. Most people likely have not heard about the Gosnell murders for one reason: Gosnell is an abortionist. The grand jury report charges that Gosnell ...

'PinocchiObama,' his ongoing dissemblingPinocchiObama is at it again, using his weekly address to the nation to spin tall tales, demonize and scapegoat Republicans, misidentify the nation’s problems, and propose the exact wrong solutions. He opened up this week’s fiction with the umpteenth repetition of his empty claim that the nation’s top priority “must be growing the economy, creating good jobs and rebuilding opportunity for the middle class.” How many times has Obama promised to...

Gagging on Ag-gag lawsIn most state legislatures today, “off the wall” has become the political center, and bizarre bills are no longer unusual. Still, it seems strange that legislators in so many states — including Arkansas, California, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio and Vermont — have simultaneously been pushing “ag-gag” bills that are not merely outrageous, but downright un-American. Each is intended to quash free speech by banning journalists, whistleblowers,...

Russellville growers embrace sustainable livingChuck and Phyllis Campbell are both teachers in the Russellville Public Schools. Chuck teaches AP environmental science and helps students grow a small garden on the high school campus. Phyllis is an elementary teacher with an art background. They’re both proponents of a more sustainable form of living, raising chickens, goats, and a large garden on their property a few miles outside of Russellville. As part of the McElroy House: Organization ...

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Meredith Martin-MoatsThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

There’s a hole in the bucket — and the overpassRemember that old folk song, “There’s a Hole in the Bucket”? In the song, “Henry” tells his “dear Liza” about a hole in their bucket, and no matter how she asks him to fix it, he always comes up with an excuse. He can’t use a straw because it’s too long. He can’t cut the straw because his ax is too dull. He can’t sharpen the ax because the stone is too dry. And he can’t fetch water to wet the stone because there’s a hole in the bucket. Honestl...

‘Mud’: Matthew McConaughey scores againMatthew McConaughey’s midcareer resurgence is a glorious thing, and it continues with “Mud.” Over the past decade, McConaughey has sometimes wasted his talent in dim rom-coms (”How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days,” “Failure to Launch,” “Fool’s Gold”) or just coasted on his formidable abs (in films such as “Sahara” and the deplorable vanity project “Surfer, Dude”). But in recent years, he has taken on better material (”The Lincoln Lawyer,” “Bernie,” “...

Complete streets vs. incomplete streetsThe city is in an accelerated campaign mode to promote Public Works and Street Projects, with the premise of “complete streets” — promoting bike lanes, sidewalks, trees, green space and street beautification as part of the total New Package. The concept of “complete streets” is basically good and the enhancements nice, if COST is no object. However, if cost is a criteria and other streets or drainages are being neglected in the interest and na...

Let’s go fishingWhether it is dropping a hook and line in a pond, casting from the bank of a creek or fishing from a boat on Lake Dardanelle you can be sure that every day there are dozens of folks in our area who enjoy the sport of fishing. An old-timer once told me, “Preacher, every day you fish you add a day to your life!” While that may not be exactly the case I admit that I have occasionally put his theory to the test. I have fished in the Gulf of Mexico...

‘Skin in the Game’If you read last week’s column, you know today is the second in a two-part series about Dr. Ben Carson, famous pediatric neurosurgeon at Johns Hopkins Medical Center in Baltimore, Md. Carson grew up in a single-parent home in the ghetto of Detroit, and his life and his future was transformed because of a mother who knew the value of getting a good education. I won’t attempt to repeat the column — if you want to know more, get a copy of last we...

Private care option best path forwardMuch has been said and written in recent weeks about passage of the “private option” health care plan, by the Arkansas General Assembly, which aims to increase healthcare coverage for low income Arkansans. Some have said that those voting for the private option are guilty of implementing Obamacare, while others have said that the private option is a conservative, market-based plan that turns Obamacare on its head. It is important, however, tha...

Letters to the editor (April 25, 2013)Kudos to Ockert Kudos to Roy Ockert for telling it like it is! Looks bad for Arkansas when the legislature makes bad decisions living up to its reputation for its members having the least amount of education in the entire 50. H. R. Stone Russellvile NRA not the problem There seems to be no end to politicians and the liberal media demonizing the NRA. Americans never get the truth about the organization and their purpose. Simply put, the NRA obj...

Reject the spirit of contemptMy dad has told the story many times of the day that President Kennedy was shot. Dad was on his way to a college class when someone shared the news and one of his fellow students, not realizing that Kennedy would not survive, immediately said, “Good.” I repeat that story, actually, to encourage you. This past week was a discouraging one in Arkansas for anyone who values civil discourse, so it’s a little reassuring to remember that people have ...

Mike Ross flip flops on abortionFormer Congressman Mike Ross made it official last week that he is running for governor. The decision was not unexpected after Attorney General Dustin McDaniel withdrew, leaving an opening for a centrist candidate like Ross. But the former congressman, who steadily has leaned conservative, chose an interesting route in his announcement speech last week at stops across the state. With an upcoming Democratic primary against former Lt. Gov. Bill ...

Politicians gain unwanted notorietyA couple of Arkansas politicians managed to make national news last week for the wrong reason — bringing criticism and ridicule to their home state. The more extreme example was a tweet Friday by state Rep. Nate Bell, R-Mena, who apparently didn’t have enough to do even with the state Legislature trying to wrap up its session: “I wonder how many Boston liberals spent the night cowering in their homes wishing they had an AR-15 with a high capac...